The objective of this F33 application is to use a novel biomaterial system to guide supercrestal bone growth for dental applications. The biomaterial system consists of two parts, a biomimetic apatite coated titanium dental post to carry growth factor and guide new bone formation, and a tissue-engineering scaffold to retain progenitor cells in the close proximity of the titanium implant. An absence of adequate alveolar bone height precludes the placement of dental implants unless preceded by separate autogenous graft procedures. The research proposed here could lead to the development of low-morbidity, implant-guided, bone-augmentation procedures for the reconstruction of the resorbed alveolar ridge. Bone augmentation that occurs as a consequence of implant placement without the need for autogenous donor material has many benefits, including a substantial improvement of augmentation predictability while decreasing the risk, time, disruption and discomfort associated with current augmentation procedures. This study is closely related to the mission of NIDCR - "to improve oral, dental and craniofacial health through research, research training, and the dissemination of health information". The central hypothesis of this application is that the optimal biomaterial system will support progenitor cell attachment and bone formation in vitro, and the highly progenitor loaded biomaterial system will dramatically enhance supercrestal bone formation in a murine calvarial orthotopic model. The specific aims of the current study are: 1. To study the interrelationship between biomaterial property and in vitro progenitor seeding as well as bone-forming capabilities using a series of GFP reporters to determine the optimal biomaterial system(s). 2. To study the effect of biomaterial property, cell seeding and osteoinductive agent on bone growth in a murine cavarial model to achieve maximum bone formation and bone-implant bonding strength. 3. To gain an in-depth understanding of progenitor seeding, GFP assessment, animal study, and histological analyses, and to enhance collaboration with dental scientist and fundamental bone cell biologist. The success completion of the proposed research could provide a path to significantly simplify the bone augmentation procedures for the reconstruction of the resorbed alveolar ridge. This will also improve the reliability of the surgery and reduce the risk, pain and disruption associated with bone augmentation [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]